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THE  HUMMING  TOP 


THE    HUMMING   TOP,  OR    DEBIT 

AND    CREDIT    IN    THE 

NEXT  WORLD 


Translated  by 

BLANCHE  WILLIS  HOWARD 

AUTHOR    OF  "ONE  SUMMER,"   u  GUENN,"  ETC 
THIRD  EDITION 


NEW  YORK 

Copyright,  1890,  by 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


GIFT 


i  ft  <r&- 

THE   HUMMING  TOP,   OR   DEBIT 

AND  CREDIT  IN  THE  NEXT 

WORLD 


[A  uthorized  Translation  from  the  German  of  Theobald  Gross.} 


BY 

BLANCHE 
WILLIS 
HOWARD 

OUNTGEIERFLUG,the 
mightiest  minister  of  the 
realm,  had  breathed  his  last.  His 
final  moments  on  earth  had  left  him 
looking  somewhat  pale  and  worn,  but 
had  in  no  respect  diminished  his  pride,  or 
tb*>  aristocratic  elegance  of  his  bearing. 


M854170 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 

Attired  in  a  gold-embroidered  coat,  such  as 
men  of  his  distinction  are  apt  to  wear  when 
lying  in  funereal  state,  he  started  off  on  the 
direct  road  to  Heaven. 

Marching  along  at  a  brisk  pace,  he  pres- 
ently  overtook  and  passed  a  little  group 
consisting  of  three  most  wretched  beings  ;  a 
white-haired,  palsied  old  pauper  woman,  a 
youth,  from  whose  neck  still  dangled  the 
halter  which  he  had  brought  with  him  from 
the  closing  scene  of  his  life  drama,  and 
a  poor  little  hump-backed  consumptive  boy, 
five  or  six  years  old,  who,  from  time  to  time 
glanced  lovingly  at  a  toy  clasped  close  in 
his  wasted  hand. 

Count  Geierflug  arrived  at  the  gates  of 
Heaven,  and  politely  addressed  Saint  Peter : 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  began,  "  I  would  merely 
beg  to  inquire — " 

But  the  former  apostle  and  present  keep- 
er of  the  celestial  gates  interrupted  him 
sternly : 


IN  THE   Ol^HER    WORLD. 

'*  It's  not  your  turn.     The  three  behind 


there,  whom  you  passed  on  the  road,  come 
first/' 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 


"  Before  me  ?  I  am  Count  Geierflug,  the 
prime-minister.  I  have  the  title  of  Excel- 
lency, am  knight  of  innumerable  orders, 
member  of  various  learned  societies  and — M 

"  Up  here  we  recognize  neither  knight 
nor  scholar." 

"  But  your  Reverence  was  a  kind  of 
knight  yourself,  and  wielded  a  dashing 
blade  in  the  affair  with  Malchus." 


IN  THE  OTHER    WORLD. 

Peter  silently  regarded  the  smiling  speak- 
er. 

"  And  your  Reverence  was  also  a  quasi 
scholar — or  author — or — " 

"  On  earth  I  was  only  a  poor  fisherman." 

"And  yet,"  continued  the  Count,  with 
a  profound  bow,  "  your  Reverence's  Epis- 
tles are  even  more  celebrated  than  the 
world-renowned  letters  of  Madame  de  S£- 
vigne." 

Again  Peter  surveyed  the  flatterer  in 
utter  silence,  but  with  so  penetrating  a  gaze 
that  the  false  courtier-eyes  drooped  beneath 
it. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  three  pilgrims  had 
arrived. 

No  sooner  did  Saint  Peter  see  the  boy's 
innocent  face  and  crippled  body  than  he 
said  kindly: 

"  Run  in,  little  one.  This  is  the  right 
place  for  you." 

The  Apostle  then  turned  to  a  thick  book, 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 


upon     which,     in     golden     letters,     stood 
"  Ledger." 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  "  he  asked  the  old 
woman. 


"  Brigitte  Stegmaierin,  if  you  please,  holy 
Saint  Peter/'  she  replied,  with  a  courtesy. 

"  Precisely  —  Brigitte  Stegmaierin/*  re- 
peated Saint  Peter,  poring  over  his  Ledger. 
Then,  in  a  grumbling  tone,  he  continued  : 


IN  THE   OTHER    WORLD. 

"  Debit :  '  Has  a  bitter,  bad  tongue  of  her 
own.'  While — h'm  !  charged  to  her  Credit 
— is  : — *  She  is  grievously  poor.'  ' 

"  Poor  !  "  cried  the  old  crone,  weeping 
and  flinging  up  her  arms ;  "  God  is  my  wit- 
ness that  is  true ;  and  holy  Saint  Peter 
himself  knows  poverty  is  a  gnawing  pain. 
Poverty  sweetens  nobody's  temper.'* 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  Apostle  gently; 
"  go  in,  granny — go  in.  In  there,  there  is 
no  more  poverty  or  pain." 

The  young  man  with  the  halter  around 
his  neck  now  stepped  forward. 

"  Your  name,"  demanded  Saint  Peter. 

"  Veit  Kratzern." 

"  Stole  a  gold  bracelet,"  read  the  Apostle 
with  a  frown. 

"  Item  :  A  purse  full  of  money. 

"'Item:  The  contents  of  the  contribution 
box  at  St.  James'  church." 

St.  Peter  scowled  fiercely  at  the  youth 
who  shook  like  a  leaf  in  the  blast. 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 


"  Credited  :  '  He  did  it  all  at  the  instiga- 
tion and  entreaty  of  his  sweetheart.'  H'm  ! 
Did  you  love  the  woman  so  very  much  ?" 


IN  THE   OTHER    WORLD. 

"Ah  ! "  faltered  the  boy,  "  I  could  never 
tell  you  how  much  !  I — " 

"  Enough  !  "  broke  in  Saint  Peter.  "  Don't 
talk  to  me  about  it.  Be  off,  will  you  ? 
Out  of  my  sight !  " 

"What!  In  there?18  and  the  thief 
pointed  toward  the  gates. 

"  Well — yes.  Only  make  haste  or  I  may 
repent  my  weakness." 

Through  the  briefly  opened  portals  the 
fair  forms  and  pitiful  faces  of  two  shining 
angels  were  revealed.  One  of  them  tenderly 
wiped  the  tears  from  poor  old  Brigitte's 
eyes,  while  the  other,  murmuring  mild  and 
compassionate  words  removed  the  rope  from 
Veit  Kratzern's  neck. 

"  Now  we  are  ready  for  you,"  remarked 
Saint  Peter  to  the  Count,  turning  over  leaf 
after  leaf  of  the  Ledger,  and  suddenly  ex- 
claiming in  a  horrified  tone  : 

"  That  looks  promising,  indeed  !  Column 
after  column  of  Debit  items,  while  nothing 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 

stands  to  your  Credit — absolutely  noth- 
ing!" 

The  Count  began  pompously  : 

"  I  have  advanced  the  commerce,  manu- 
factures and  agriculture  of  my  native  land. 
I  have  protected  and  promoted  the  arts  and 
sciences.  I  have  built  churches  and  schools 
and  orphan  asylums  and  hospitals  and  poor- 
houses  and — " 

"  Peace,  fool !  "  cried  Saint  Peter  angrily. 
"  All  that  is  charged  fast  enough,  not  to 
your  credit  but  against  you,  because  it  was 
done  from  ambition  and  selfishness  and  os- 
tentation and  hypocrisy." 

"  My  life's  best  work,"  continued  the 
Count,  still  more  proudly,  "how  I  made 
my  fatherland  great  and  glorious  beyond 
all  lands  on  earth  I  do  not  need  to  men- 
tion, for  I  presume  my  fame  has  long  ago 
ascended  here." 

"Your  fame,"  retorted  Saint  Peter  with 
increasing  indignation,  "  has  not  reached  us, 


IN  THE   OTHER    WORLD. 

but  the  groans  of  dying  youths  have  risen 
to  us  from  your  battle-fields  and  from  deso- 
late homes,  the  despair  of  mothers  and 
brides ;  and  I  tell  you,  wretch,  if  you  have 
nothing  better  than  this  to  urge,  you  are  a 
lost  man  ! " 

The  Count  grew  still  paler,  and  had  not 
a  word  to  say  for  himself. 


At  this   moment  the  little  boy,  lingering 
on  the  threshold  of   Heaven,  called  out : 


DEBIT  AND    CREDIT 

"  Mr.  Peter  !  Mr.  Peter  !  " 

"Are  you  still  there,  my  little  man?" 
returned  the  Apostle ;  "  why  do  you  not 
enter  ?  " 

Instead  of  replying  to  the  question,  the 
little  fellow  said  : 

"  Mr.  Peter,  do  you  see  this  humming- 
top?" 

Pulling  the  string  he  sent  the  top  flying 
from  the  handle  and  spinning  about  with  a 
jolly  hum  at  the  feet  of  the  Apostle  and  the 
Count. 

"  Upon  my  word  !  A  real  humming-top, " 
Saint  Peter  returned  indulgently.  "  Pray 
how  came  it  here  ?  " 

"  My  mother  laid  it  in  my  grave  with 
me,"  answered  the  child  seriously.  He 
then  picked  up  his  top,  re-wound  the  string, 
and  extending  the  toy  temptingly  toward 
the  Apostle,  said  : 

"  Mr.  Peter,  if  you  will  let  the  Count  go 
in  there  with  me,  I  will  let  you  spin  my  top." 


IN  THE   OTHER    WORLD. 


"  Do  you  know  the  Count,  child?" 

"  Of  course.  It  was  the  Count  that  gave 
me  my  top." 

"  Ah !  Tell  me  how  that  happened,  dear 
boy." 

"  Once  I  was  sitting  at  the  door  eating 
my  bread.  And  when  I  had  finished  I 
began  to  cry.  Just  then  the  Count  came 
driving  along  in  a  beautiful  blue  and  gold 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 

coach  with  four  gray  horses.  And  the 
carriage  stopped,  and  the  Count  said : 

"  '  Are  you  hungry,  little  boy? 

" '  No/  said  I, '  I  have  just  had  my  bread/ 

"  And  the  Count  said,  '  Then  why  are  you 
crying  ? ' 

"  And  then  I  said,  '  I  am  so  lonely.  Fa- 
ther and  mother  go  off  to  work  early  in 
the  morning  and  don't  come  home  till  late 
at  night,  and  the  children  won't  play  with 
me  because  I  am  so  slow/  Then  the  Count 
said  that  he  would  bring  me  something  to 
play  with.  And  in  a  little  while  he  came 
back  with  the  top,  and  we  made  it  spin,  the 
Count  and  I  together;  and  after  that  I 
never  cried  any  more." 

Saint  Peter  made  no  reply,  but  buried  his 
head  in  his  Ledger,  muttering: 

"  I  know  he's  rather  old  fogyish  in  his 
accounts,  our  old  book-keeper,  Gabriel — 
still,  we  have  always  been  able  to  rely  upon 
him — ah,  I  was  sure  of  it  !  "  he  exclaimed 


IN   THE   OTHER   WORLD. 

joyfully.:  u  here  it  is  on  the  very  last  Credit 
page  : 

"  '  Gave  a  day-laborer's  crippled  child  a 
toy — commonly  called  a  humming-top — and 
with  great  kindness  and  gentleness  showed 
the  boy  how  to  spin  it."  ' 


With   almost    youthful    eagerness    Saint 
Peter  seized  his  red  pencil,  and  drew  a  broad 


DEBIT  AND   CREDIT 


line  through  the  whole  long  list  of  sins  and 
transgressions,  and  the  next  moment  the 
Count,  clasping  the  child's  hand,  entered 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 


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